The hybrid twins curse

Anastasia’s POV It was only yesterday that my Dad had been beheaded in public, a punishment for a crime I still didn’t understand. The news had spread like wildfire, the whispers followed me everywhere I went around the school compound. “Did you hear? Her dad was executed.” Someone said as I passed a group of students staring at me. “Well, serves the traitor right.” Another answered among them. I kept my head down trying to block out the voices. My only friends, Sarah and Amy, stuck close to me. “Back off b***h,” Sarah sneered at one of them but it only earned us a louder laughter. “Just ignore them, Ana,” Sarah looked defeated. “They don’t know anything.” “Yeah, they’re just being jerks,” Amy added, her tone more aggressive than Sarah’s. I nodded, but my throat felt tight, and my eyes stung with tears I struggled to hold back. Every class felt like a prison, the seconds ticking painfully slow. Everyone looked at meeither with an eye of mockery or pity, their stares burning holes into my body. I couldn’t focus on anything in class. The whispers and laughs were everywhere, piercing through my grief and all I could think of was running away. “Class is over,” the last teacher for the day announced, the bell affirming her words. I grabbed my backpack and practically ran out of school. “Yes, run away you traitor.” “You don't belong here b***h,” I ignored them all and sped through the hallway. The walk home was quiet, the usual route felt longer than ever. When I finally reached the front door, I felt a small sense of relief, like I was now stepping into a safe haven. But that relief was short lived, something was off. Mom met me in the living room, her face carrying a weight of something I felt was exhaustion. “Anastasia, we need to talk.” She said to me. I dropped my bag and looked at her, wondering what’s wrong. “What is it, Mom?” “We’re moving,” she said straightly, as if she had rehearsed this a hundred times. “It may be wise to start preparing your things. We’ll leave soon, in the coming days.” “Moving?” The word felt foreign on my lips. “But what about my friends? What about school? Everything I know is here!” She sighed and walked over to me, placing her hands on my shoulders. “I know this is hard, Ana. But we won’t be needing to stay here anymore.” I struggled to find the right words. “But where are we going?” “You’ll find new friends,” she said, trying to sound optimistic. “We’ll start a new life there else. It’ll be fun.” She said, ignoring my question. Fun. The word sounded hollow, almost cruel. “I don’t want to start over. I want to stay here.” I then pulled away and slumped onto a couch. “Fun you say Mom? How can anything be fun after… after Dad?” I spat at her. Mom’s walked towards me. “I understand, but we don’t have a choice. It’s for the best, believe me.” I pulled away, my tears finally spilling over. “This isn’t fair.” Mom’s face tightened, and I saw her swallow hard. “We have to try, Ana. For your father, and for us. We need to keep going.” Tears blurred my vision. “I just… I can’t imagine leaving everything behind. This is all I know.” She knelt down beside me, her eyes meeting with mine. “I know it’s hard. It’s hard for me too. But we have start over again.” I sniffled, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. “So what about our house? And our stuff? And you still haven’t told me where we’re going!” Mom went silent for a moment, her eyes shifting from mine. The reality of it all crashed over me like a wave. I wanted to argue, to scream at her, but I couldn’t. I stared at her, my mind racing. “But why, Mom? Why now? We just… we just lost Dad.” I said almost screaming. She sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping. “I’m getting married, Anastasia. We’re moving to his house.” My jaw dropped. “Married? To who? How can you even think about that now?” “It’s complicated,” she replied, her voice strained. “But it’s happening, and we need to get ready. We’re meeting your new stepdad and his family tonight.” She said firmly and stood up. I felt anger flow through me. “You can’t just drop this on me and expect me to be okay with it. Who is this guy? Why so soon?” “His name is Silas, and it’s not up for debate. This is happening, and we have to move forward.” She answered blankly. I felt like the ground had been ripped out from under me. “I don’t want to go!” I let out, my voice shaking. “This isn’t fair.” “I know it’s hard,” she said, trying to soften her tone. “But this is what’s best for us. You’ll see.” Without another word, I turned and ran upstairs to my room, slamming the door behind me. I locked it, leaning against the door as if it could keep the world out. I slumped on the floor and my tears flowed from my eyes effortlessly now. I was turning eighteen in a few weeks, and I had dreamed of finally finding my place in the world, of maybe even finding my mate. Instead, everything was falling apart. First, Dad’s death, and now this? Mom getting married to some stranger and expecting me to just go along with it? I threw myself onto my bed, burying my face in the pillow. The tears streamed down my face, and I felt utterly helpless. How could she do this to me? How could she expect me to leave everything behind and start over just because she wanted to? The questions raced my mind. I didn’t come out of my room for the rest of the evening. Mom knocked on the door a few times, asking me to come out, to talk, to get ready to meet Silas and his family. But I ignored her. I just couldn’t. I didn’t want to. I felt betrayed and alone. I felt like my life was being torn apart piece by piece, and there was just nothing I could do to stop it from going on. I remained in my room, staring at the ceiling, feeling the weight of everything upon me. I wished for a way out in my mind, hoped for a miracle, for something to change. But deep down, I knew there was no other choice.